“Children have a right to free time, to play games in the afternoon.”
Gawker reports on a high-school in Germany that has put a moratorium on homework for younger students in response to the state’s new policy keeping students in school 44 hours…
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16062 posts
Everything that can’t be categorized but is still wonderful!
Dan Weiss’s Morning Coffee
Dan Weiss is away this week. We’ll do our best to get the day started without him. A documentary from Thailand with elephant peg legs. Dumpster diving artists are turning trash into…
The Future of StoryTelling
On October 5th, a collection of speakers presented their use of technology in modern day storytelling. Featuring innovations beyond flourishy eBooks, the fifteen short films featured on The Future of Storytelling’s…
“No good writer ever merely cheered us up”
Howard Jacobson writes on “bad boys’ books,” making a case for depressing and difficult literature. He argues that all good books improve the character of the reader, even those that…
Ethos of the Era
The Atlantic ruminates on how Cheryl Strayed‘s espousal of “motherfuck-itude,” self-reliance, and radical empathy is especially relevant in our post-recession era. “Strayed’s path—hauling her needed possessions on her back down…
Notable San Francisco 10/8-10/13
This week in San Francisco! Litquake is in full swing for the next six days–visit the Litquake site for a full listing of events (tons are free). Monday 10/8: Quiet…
Hey, So A Book Deal Went Down This Week
There’s been a lot of grumbling in my local area about a certain Book Deal, the astronomical sum it amounted to, its potential to displace sums that could be allocated…
Language is Simpler Than Previously Believed
A new Cornell study indicates that language is made of small sequential structures that string together to make meaning. The study may debunk the 50 year old belief that language…
I Don’t See You
“I Don’t See You,” Tim N. Taylor’s essay on the racism he witnessed while coming of age in Waterloo, Iowa, made The Top 5 Longreads of the Week. Thanks, Longreads!
Women Writers on Arabian Nights
Erica Wagner interviews Hanan Al-Shayk, Lebanese author, and Marina Warner, cultural historian, on what the modern world can learn from 1,001 Nights for Guernica Magazine. The three feminist-minded writers champion…